I remember my first week living in Philadelphia like it was yesterday. It was similar to that first night in my new dorm room each year at college. Lots of unknowns and a lot of what ifs with that feeling that something magical was about to happen. I can remember going to bed my first night and just smiling because I did it. For years I told myself and others that I would move back to Philly one day and I finally did it. In a two week span, I quit my job, signed a lease on an apartment and got the call that I got a job at a law firm in Philly. My life changed so quickly in just a few weeks that I remember having an out of the body experience with it all.

I barely slept the night before the move while sleeping in a guest bedroom because my bedroom was completely empty. At 3am I was still awake making to do lists and designing my apartment. Movers came to my childhood home on April 15th and in less than two hours all of my belongings and some furniture was put into a truck heading to Philly. My parents and I stood by the front door in the living room for a really long hug because this was the last time I would be calling this house home. My parents and I drove to my apartment in different cars and I remember being nervous, excited and so ready to start this new adventure on my drive down to Philly. For years, I had driven to Philly to see friends that I could do this drive with my eyes closed. For years, I would drive to Philly after work on a Saturday and be up early Sunday so I could get to work on time. Finally, I could call Philly home again and not have to drive back to Jersey. After two years of retail, I would have my weekends back working a normal Monday-Friday job. Having movers was the best decision we made because in less than 2 hours, they had my furniture set up and all of my boxes were in my living room. My mom and I had fun playing house unpacking boxes for my kitchen. Once they set up my bed, my mom immediately put sheets and decorative pillows on my bed so I could get a good nights sleep. I still had a hard time believing that this was my own home because it had been a dream for so long. After the movers finished up and were on their way, my parents and I went out to dinner to toast my new adventure. As we walked back to my apartment and to their car to go back to Jersey, we hugged one more time knowing that this is where I was supposed to be heading in life and that this was the right decision. It was hard to close the book on one chapter, but I am so happy I was brave to move to a new city on my own. As my parents headed back to Jersey, I went back up to my apartment and started to unpack some more boxes because I was excited to make this place my home.

I took some time recently to look back at some blog posts from this time last year and wow, a lot has changed in one year. Those first few months I struggled with being lonely, boredom , creating a routine and needing some help to build some furniture… Instead of worrying about what could go wrong, I put all of my energy into making Philly feel like home. I explored my new city, walked a lot of miles, decorated my new apartment, worked on blog collaborations and started to talk to a boy.

I spent my first few months learning how to live on my own, who I was and how to live in a city. I’m thankful for this blog because I can go back to old blog posts and read how I was feeling and growing as a person. I grew up a lot in the last year and learned a lot. My first few months here I was a little bored and now I have to plan a weekend to do absolutely nothing! I love being able to come home from work to my own apartment, sit on the couch in my matching pajamas and eat dinner. It’s those little moments that make me realize that I am really living in a city by myself. For some, that would be scary but to me this is a really big accomplishment.

This year has flown by and my life looks completely different than it did on April 14th of last year. I’m still exploring and trying new places here in Philly. There is always so much to do and never enough time. I cannot wait to see what this second year in Philly brings me.